LA's Consumate Crossover Pianist Bryan Pezzone to Perform at Yellow House Concerts

Online, April 30, 2011 (Newswire.com) - Ridah Omri, founder of Santa Barbara music scene legends SoHo jazz hall and The Jazz Hall, is proud to announce his return to live music promotion with The Yellow House Concerts. The first concert in this eclectic new series is Bryan Pezzone, LA's consummate crossover pianist, on Friday May 20th, 7pm.

Bryan Pezzone, who has been called one of the most versatile pianists in the world, blends his passion for improvisation with his passion for the excitement of a live performance. As the pianist for The Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and Disney Hall, Pezzone has performed everything from classical to pop, and avant-garde to jazz. His numerous recording credits range from film and television soundtracks, contemporary music premieres, chamber music accompanying, the Yamaha Disklavier player piano series and a rare on-screen credit for his performance on the soundtrack of "The Game" starring Michael Douglas.

"I was first impressed with Bryan's amazing abilities when I heard a new recording of 'Swinging by Depression,' an improvisation on Patricio da Silva's recently released CD entitled 'Now and Then: Music from the Great Depression(s) 2010 / 1929'," said Ridah Omri. "Bryan's improv is based on 'Ain't Misbehavin'' and 'Honeysuckle Rose' by Fats Waller along with 'If I Could Be With You' by James Johnson. His fingers finessed the keyboard as if it was an extension of himself. At The Jazz Hall, I had the honor of presenting many of the finest pianists in the world, so its easy for me to recognize that there's something very special about Bryan's playing and I'm thrilled to present him as the opening program of The Yellow House Concerts," Ridah Omri said.

Pezzone, who holds the distinguished title of Yamaha Recording Artist, will play everything from Chopin & da Silva Nocturnes, Schubert, his own compositions and improvisations, Latin jazz, and even his own "Mozart Club Sandwich." He has even promised to play "Swinging by Depression" (the improvisation that so impressed Omri.) But, you never know what will you might hear at one of Pezzone's concerts - You just have to come to find out.

About Bryan Pezzone:
Bryan Pezzone is the consummate cross-over pianist of his generation. He excels in classical, contemporary, jazz, and experimental genres and is well known for his versatility and virtuosity as a recording and performing artist, improviser and composer.

He performs with many major symphony orchestra associations, tours widely with the jazz group Free Flight, and is known in the Los Angeles area as a primary free-lance pianist for film and television soundtrack recording, contemporary music premieres, and chamber music. Bryan is the pianist on most all of the cartoons released by Warner Brothers and Disney, he was the principal pianist with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra from its inception in 1991 through 1999, and received a rare on-screen credit for his performance on the soundtrack of "The Game" starring Michael Douglas. His workshops on his comprehensive approach to improvisation are frequently requested and he is a consulting editor for the well-known publication "Piano and Keyboard."

As a soloist, Bryan has performed with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, Pasadena Pops, Santa Monica Symphony, Santa Clarita Symphony, San Antonio Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, United States International University Orchestra, U.C. Irvine Symphony Orchestra, Eastman Philharmonic and the Pacific Symphony.

Bryan has also been invited to perform solo keyboard concerts that blend traditional concert repertoire, improvisations and original works using the Yamaha Midi Grand by Willamette University for it's Distinguished Artist Series, the University of Miami, Rice University and in many Southern California appearances including the California Institute of the Arts where he created the multi-focused keyboard program and served on the piano faculty from 1987 to 1999. Bryan is responsible for most of Yamaha's Disklavier Piano Series with solo titles as disparate as "The Best of Elton John", "Cinema Love Songs", and "Debussy Piano Works".

Since beginning his career in Los Angeles in 1987, Bryan has worked with many of the premiere contemporary music conductors; Pierre Boulez, Oliver Knussen, John Adams, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Kent Nagano and John Williams. He is featured in collaborations on a vast number of professionally released recordings, and has been involved with nearly every major festival, series, and performing arts organization, including: Regular appearances on Sundays at Four (broadcast live on KUSC FM 91.5), Monday Evening Concerts, the Green Umbrella Series with both the Cal Arts New Century Players and the Los Angeles Philharmonic New Music Group, the Ojai Festival, Joeffrey Ballet - soloist in Stravinsky's "Les Noces", Southwest Chamber Music Series and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.

Bryan received his Bachelor of Music from the Eastman School of Music in 1984 where he was awarded the Performers Certificate and won the concerto competition. He was invited to the Tanglewood Music Center two successive summers as a full scholarship fellow in 1983 and 1984 where he received the C.D. Jackson Master Award. He attended the Banff Centre during its winter term on scholarship from 1984-1985 as an alternative to graduate studies in order to have the necessary time to freely blend various aesthetics and diverse performance traditions into a unique approach.

This passion remains the focus of his work and continues to evolve in Bryan's own concerts called "Freedom Series" an eclectic blend of Bryan's compositions and improvisations mixed with personal musings on life and inspiration. Bryan's unique approach is a hybrid genre that is meant to both affect his audience emotionally through music as well as provide a gateway for more inspired living and attention to imagination long after the music has ended.

Bryan's recordings include the chamber works of John Briggs, "Settings" by Mel Powell, works of John Harbison and John Cage, oboe soloist Allan Vogel (Delos), trombonist William Booth and many more vocalists and instrumentalists. Bryan's own CDs include "Flying on Water" produced by Steve Wight and featuring M.B. Gordy on drums and Bart Samolis on bass, "Towards" produced by Prescriptive Music, "Intimate Themes and Interludes", and "Piano Prayers "blending jazz and classical styles with Bryan's own improvisations.

About Ridah Omri:
Ridah Omri is a native of Tunisia in North Africa, who grew up in Lyon, France. He came to Santa Barbara in 1989 without speaking a word of English. His only experience of the city had been in being a fan of the hit TV series "Santa Barbara" aired from 1984 to 1993. In fact, he had watched every episode of the series, along with his mother, while growing up in France.

In 1990, Omri founded SoHo jazz club and in 1993, he founded The Jazz Hall at 28 E. Victoria Street. In the small club, he thrived at bringing the world's best jazz artist to an intimate setting. He also held larger concerts, with the likes of Chick Corea, Kenny Garrett, Christian McBride, and others at Victoria Hall.

When Omri's beloved mother passed away in 1997, he closed The Jazz Hall suddenly to return to France and take care of family business. Now, with renewed passion Omri presents The Yellow House Concerts bringing, once again, the world's best musicians to Santa Barbara

About The Yellow House Concerts:
The Yellow House is a private artist residence atop a hill in the Santa Barbara area. Uniquely designed, the residence offers acoustically excellent concert areas inside and on the private patio. Both provide the listener with a comfortable, intimate setting for hearing some of the world's finest musicians.

The Yellow House Concerts 2011 Series opens May 20th with the finest crossover pianist alive today, Bryan Pezzone. At this performance, Ridah Omri will announce the exciting upcoming schedule.

Additional information and tickets are available at:

http://yellowhouseconcerts.ticketleap.com/an-evening-with-bryan-pezzone-pianist/

Media Contact:
Ridah Omri
The Yellow House Concerts
650-823-3014
[email protected]